Second Chances
by WolvenBane08
Summary: Six years have passed since Azula was defeated by her brother and Katara during Sozin's Comet, and now-finally-she has returned home to discover that much has changed. Katara shows up in the Fire Nation, curious to see the supposedly reformed Azula. Maybe, just maybe, second chances are the best ones. Rating may vary as the story continues. Cover art by me.
1. New Beginnings

_**This is my first attempt at a fanfic, please be gentle. That said, I have a LOT of headcanons surrounding dear Azula. Maybe I'll put some of the others into words as well. **_

_**I'm calling this fic complete for now. It's not, really, but I don't want to call it incomplete only to not ever update. If I wind up writing more, I'll update it. If not…well, it can stand on its own.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

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><p>Azula walked through the corridors of the Royal Palace noting, yet again, the changes her brother had brought to the Fire Nation when he became Firelord. What had once been barren, scorched earth now held lush gardens and ponds with turtleduck families. The Palace was nowhere near as imposing as it had been when they were growing up, and she wasn't yet sure how she felt about the changes.<p>

It had been six years now since the Avatar and her brother had ended the Hundred Year War, but Azula had only been back in the Fire Nation for the last few months. Her _dear_ brother, thinking it'd be good for her, had sent her out into the world to travel. Of course, he forgot that his sister had either conquered, destroyed, or terrorized large swaths of the Earth Kingdom during the last year of the War, and so had many enemies.

She closed her eyes and sighed as she came across yet _another_ turtleduck pond.

"You should have seen the place right after the battle," came a feminine voice to her right, "half of Caldera City was on fire because of the Agni Kai."

Azula turned to see a dark-skinned woman with bright blue eyes and long, chocolate colored hair wearing the clothes of the Water Tribe. And as there was only one Water Tribe woman she could remember her brother associating with, then this would have to be Katara—the Waterbending peasant that had defeated her at the end of the War.

Golden eyes narrowed at the woman who dared approach her, but Azula otherwise refused to respond.

"I see you remember me," Katara said with a tight smile as she glanced at the pond in front of them, "though I'm not sure that's a good thing…" she trailed off with a shrug before turning her gaze back to Azula, taking in the woman's proud stance and impeccable appearance.

Azula made no move to respond.

"I…heard you were back in the Palace," Katara began as she fidgeted under Azula's intense stare, "and…I just wanted to come see you, to apologize."

A raised brow was the only response Azula gave the Waterbender.

Katara sighed. "I, I know it couldn't have been easy, during the Agni Kai, first having Zuko get the upper-hand, then having to fight me—your natural opposite. And…and I know I played dirty, trapping you in ice and chaining you to the grate like that. So…I'm sorry."

Azula remained silent for a moment, turning back to the pond and watching the turtleducks swim around without a care in the world.

"You used a sound strategy," she eventually responded, "you were fighting a powerful opponent made more powerful by the effects of Sozin's Comet. You used your abilities and the area around you to your advantage; you saw an opportunity, so you took it."

"But…"

Azula turned to face the Water Tribe woman, cutting her off. "I was losing my mind, Katara. Everything I'd ever worked for had just been thrown in my face. My friends had betrayed me, and my father had publicly humiliated me by refusing to let me come with him to conquer the Earth Kingdom. He essentially told me that I wasn't good enough to stand beside him in his moment of glory, and everyone around us heard it."

"I didn't—"

"I was slipping," Azula continued, unfazed by Katara's slack-jawed expression, "and rest assured, had I been right of mind, neither you nor little Zuzu would have survived that battle." With that, the former Princess of the Fire Nation turned on her heel and strode back inside.

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><p>Katara stood off to the side as she watched the Palace staff—or those that were Firebenders anyway—practice their art, led by Firelord Zuko himself. They had gathered on the plaza just before dawn; meditating as the sun peaked above the horizon line, and gradually working through their kata as it rose higher in the sky. A small group of children skirted the edges of the group, giggling and trying to imitate some of the more difficult moves.<p>

A shadow of movement across the plaza caught her attention, and a closer look revealed the newly-reinstated Princess Azula standing off to the side, arms crossed as she watched the group.

The Waterbender began to work her way around the plaza towards the Princess as the group finished their exercises and dispersed, being greeted—and slowed down—by many of the staff on her way. By the time she arrived to where she'd seen Azula, the woman was gone.

It had been a few months since her last interaction with the Princess, and she still wasn't entirely sure it had happened. The Azula _she_ remembered had been quick of wit and downright vicious to those she perceived to be below herself. And the Azula of the war would have _never_ admitted to have been slipping. The change intrigued her.

A flash of blue down a corridor to her left caught her eye, and following it revealed none other than the Princess. Flames the color of cut tourmaline leapt from her hands and feet as she worked her way through her own kata, seemingly never touching the ground.

The former Princess may have matured into a beautiful woman over the last six years, but she was undoubtedly still a force to be reckoned with.

"Are you going to stand there and stare, or do you actually have something to say?" Azula's sharp voice cut through Katara's thoughts as the woman wrapped up her morning practice.

"Why weren't you out there with the others?" Katara inquired, ignoring the jibe completely.

"Zuzu doesn't want me scaring the children away," she responded, rolling her eyes briefly before focusing them on Katara. "And what are you doing here? I don't recall Zuzu mentioning a visit from the Avatar." She smirked. "Boyfriend troubles?"

Katara winced, turning and walking over to a fountain at the end of the smaller courtyard. She extended her right hand and bent a stream of water towards her, watching as it hovered and circled in the air at her will. To her surprise, Azula stayed, watching her.

"So I'm right, then." Azula stated bluntly as she took a step towards the Waterbender.

Katara bent the water back into the fountain, letting her hand hover in the air for a brief moment before wrapping her arms around herself.

"He swore up and down after the war that I was the one for him." The Waterbender replied, not taking her eyes off the fountain. "But I've seen the way he looks at some of the Air Acolytes. He hasn't looked that way at me in…too long."

Azula frowned, walking up to the fountain and sitting on the edge.

"We keep fighting," she continued, lost in her thoughts, "disagreeing over every little thing. Stupid things, big things…just everything. I can't have a conversation with him anymore without it devolving into an argument."

"So dump him," Azula shrugged, "you're the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and a Waterbending prodigy."

Katara sat down next to Azula with a sigh. "I did. I left him a letter and took the first ship to the Fire Nation."

"Why here?" Azula inquired with a hint of curiosity. "Why not the Southern Water Tribe? It's your home, you have family there. Or even the Northern Tribe; from what I hear you know the Chief there as well."

Katara nodded. "I know, but that's where he'd look first, if he looks at all. And…" she hesitated, glancing at the Princess briefly, "you're here. He's still…uneasy about you having your bending. You nearly killed him during the War, and he hasn't forgotten that."

"People change." Azula responded quietly.

"They do," Katara agreed, "but he's refusing to believe that you can, that you have. He…he fought long and hard with Zuko over giving you your title back. He thought that you would try to overthrow Zuko as soon as you had your claim to royalty again."

"I had wondered why that took so long." The Princess replied simply.

"That's why." Katara responded, drawing lazy patterns above the water of the fountain with her left hand, watching as her bending changed the currents.

They sat in surprisingly companionable silence for a few moments before Azula abruptly stood.

"Well, if you're going to be staying in Caldera City, you should stay in my villa." She said succinctly. "If the Avatar is going to be such a baby about a little bit of lightning, then I doubt he'll come knocking on my door."

Katara blinked up at the Princess, eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh don't look so surprised, Katara." Azula said, expression slowly morphing into a smirk. "What better way to prove that I'm fit to rejoin society than by hosting the very woman who took me down at the end of the War."

"And you're not going to just kill me in my sleep?" Katara inquired, lips quirking up into a grin.

"Don't be silly," Azula scoffed, "that would be entirely too dirty and underhanded for a woman of my station." She paused for a moment, lifting her right hand and bending lightning around it. "I'd terrorize a servant into doing it for me."

Katara laughed at that, doubling over and nearly falling into the fountain.

"Well?" Azula inquired, offering her hand to the incapacitated Waterbender. "Are you coming?"

Katara beamed up at the Princess, laughter still dancing in her eyes as she took the proffered hand.

"It'd be my honor."


	2. Local Inquiries

_**I still own nothing, Azula just squats in my head.**_

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><p>"Where do you disappear to every day?" Azula inquired, looking up from the letter she'd been writing as Katara entered the room Azula typically used as a study.<p>

Though technically a room meant to host guests, the Princess had taken a liking to working in it. Two walls held shelving units filled with scrolls and tomes of resources, a third held the open doorway that led to the rest of the Villa, and the last contained windows overlooking the gardens. In the corner furthest from the doorway was the desk Azula worked at, angled so that she could look out over the entire room and still see the gardens.

It was late evening, Azula noted with a glance outside, well past when most people would have had dinner.

The Waterbender had been staying in the Villa for about a month now, but Azula still hardly ever saw her; Katara tended to leave shortly after breakfast and return late. She'd miss dinner entirely if Azula didn't eat late on a regular basis.

"Did you know there's a small cluster of Waterbenders just outside of Caldera city?" Katara asked in reply as she flopped into a chair. "I've been with them, mostly. Teaching them how to bend and heal."

Azula hummed in response. She'd known those benders were there, as Ozai had made sure to mention them on more than one occasion. Of course, he'd also made sure they never received any sort of training and remained actively suppressed. Their conditions had improved rapidly since Ozai's fall, though Zuko had yet to offer them any actual help. Which brought up an interesting question of its own.

"I think the better question would be whether or not Zuko knows they're there." Azula eventually said as Katara rifled through her bags. Seemed she'd been shopping as well. "I doubt Father even mentioned it to him."

Katara looked up at the Princess, startled.

"Ozai knew about them, and let them live?" She sounded as surprised as she looked.

"Of course," Azula replied easily as she went back to writing her letter. "They were born in the Fire Nation, and so are citizens of the Fire Nation. He can hardly kill them without a good reason."

She paused for a moment, tilting her head to the side and looking somewhere to the right of where Katara sat.

"Well, I supposed he could," Azula amended, enjoying the horrified look on Katara's face. "But it'd have been more effort than they were worth."

"They're people!" Katara exclaimed, outraged. "Just because they bend water doesn't make them any less than you!"

"I didn't say that." Azula countered. "I said it'd be too much of a hassle. If Father had waltzed into their slums and torched everything—like he very much wanted to—the people would have rioted. There are a number of Firebenders in that area as well."

"It's very likely that a movement would have begun," she continued. "Started by the peasants and commoners, of course, to try and overthrow the Fire Lord. And, eventually, even the Nobility would have backed it."

She dipped her brush into the ink and wrote another few words while Katara gaped at her.

"If Ozai was willing to kill Fire Nation citizens unprovoked, then what's to say he won't eventually turn on them? No one would feel safe, and eventually he'd have been brought down. The Fire Lord's rule may be absolute, but that doesn't mean he isn't held accountable."

Katara was beginning to see why Azula had been such a pain during the war. The woman was brilliant.

"Who holds the Fire Lord accountable then?" She inquired. "I know Zuko has a group of advisors, but they seem more interested in their own ambitions than in being helpful."

Azula snorted. "Zuzu's Cabinet is as good as useless. None of them know anything about how to run a country that isn't at war."

She shook her head and continued. "The people hold the Fire Lord—and the entire Royal Family—accountable. By law, the Fire Lord _must_ respond to anyone who challenges him to an Agni Kai."

"And if the challenger wins…."

"If the challenger wins, then the Fire Lord is deposed and, in theory, they become the new Fire Lord." Azula responded. "But it hardly ever happens that way. Even if a Fire Lord were deposed, his or her siblings and heirs would issue challenges. Eventually the initial challenger would be too worn out to fight, and would lose."

"But I thought you couldn't participate in more than one Agni Kai a day." Katara said, somewhat confused.

"That's true," Azula replied, "but imagine having a duel scheduled every day for the next few weeks. Even if they're short, you'll still wear out, because you know that if you slip up even once, your life is forfeit."

"That's barbaric!" Katara exclaimed.

"It's life." Azula replied with a shrug, rolling up the letter and sealing it.

"But hey," she continued with a grin in Katara's direction. "At least women are allowed to join the military."

Katara huffed at the dig, but didn't rise to Azula's obvious bait.

"What were you working on, anyway?" She asked instead.

"Letters to send to various Nobility suggesting that they donate money to Zuzu's little public education project." Azula replied easily, gathering the stacks of scrolls to be sent out and placing them in the appropriate bin.

Katara eyed Azula and followed her into the breakfast room, where Azula took most of her meals.

"And by _'suggesting'_ I take it you really mean blackmailing?" Katara inquired, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Of course." Azula replied simply as she allowed a servant to pull out her chair for her. "How else am I going to convince them to part with money they don't need?"

Katara snorted at that as she settled across from the FIrebender.

"How'd Zuko rope you into that anyway?" Katara inquired as the servants served their meal. She smiled and thanked them before turning her attention back to the Princess. "You don't strike me as someone who would volunteer to write a bunch of letters."

"No," Azula agreed. "But if Zuko _had_ asked I might have agreed." She rested her left arm on the table and propped her head up with it, lazily moving her chopsticks through the air. "Unfortunately it _slipped his mind_ to ask yesterday after our meeting with potential contractors. I received a visit from Mother this morning."

Katara winced slightly in sympathy, well aware of Azula's rocky relationship with her mother. The princess wasn't outright hostile towards her mother anymore, but they were hardly close. And it irritated Azula to no end that Ursa suddenly wanted to play a part in her daughter's life.

"She didn't give me much of an option, as usual." Azula finished, popping a rice ball into her mouth with a shrug, ending the conversation.

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><p><em><strong>Look! An update!<strong>_

_**So I'll be updating this after all. I have a vague idea of where I want it to go, the beginnings of a couple additional chapters written, but overall I think this fic will be as much a surprise for me as for y'all.**_

_**That said, I'll be uploading it as a series of oneshots in approximate chronological order. Glimpses of life, basically. There will be some drama at some point…I set that up largely without realizing it.**_

_**Also, I can't promise a regular update schedule. I have a huge chunk of free time between two classes this semester, but unfortunately I'm not the kinda person who can force writing to happen. I'll update as I write, but that's about all I can promise.**_


	3. Dragon Festival

**_Look, another update! Everyone who has reviewed is awesome, because it's your reviews that motivated me to continue this in the first place._**

**_I'm gonna try to update once a week, but that may or may not keep up. I'm horrible with things like that._**

**_I promise there is something vaguely resembling a plot to this...I have labeled it Azutara. But for right now I'm just establishing my headcanons of the characters and introducing a few important players._**

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><p>"Come on," Katara pleaded, "it'll be fun!"<p>

Azula eyed the woman before her, uncertain as to in what world, exactly, dressing up as a commoner to attend the Fire Nation's annual Dragon Festival was considered _fun._ She expressed as much to Katara, who only rolled her eyes.

"I just think you'll enjoy it more if you don't have people constantly gawking at you." Katara responded with a huff.

"Who says I'm even going?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Katara asked. "You don't strike me as the type to just sit around in your Villa and hope everyone forgets about you."

Azula rolled her eyes at that, not bothering to point out that _she_ was the one working on negotiations with the Hunsi family instead of Zuko. The Fire Lord had sat through all of one meeting with the head of the trade mogul's family before Mai had come to Azula, all but _begging _her to take over negotiations.

The Princess had had her work cut out for her smoothing over ruffled feathers and convincing them that no, the Fire Lord _wasn't_ really a pompous ass….just an idiot sometimes. Fortunately, Lord Hunsi's granddaughter, Jin—the one most likely to take over the family business—had appreciated her sense of humor. Azula got the distinct impression the woman would appreciate more than her sense of humor if given half a chance.

"I assure you, Ambassador, if I were intending to sit around and hope for the world to forget about me I wouldn't do it here." Azula responded to Katara's jibe. "I'd much rather waste my life at Ember Island. Shame little Zuzu can't run the nation on his own."

Katara rolled her eyes in turn. "It'll be fun, Azula!" The Waterbender insisted. "Come on!"

"You're not going to take "no" for an answer, are you?"

"Nope!" Katara responded cheerily, popping the 'p' at the end.

"Fine." Azula conceded. "But I am _not_ dressing as a peasant. I refuse to wear rags to a festival."

Katara ignored Azula's comment, going off on all the exciting things she was sure to see. Azula tuned her out completely after Katara started listing all the important people she hoped to see attending, the Hunsi family being at the top of the list.

Azula allowed herself a smirk at that. Perhaps she could kill two birds with one stone tonight.

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><p>Azula had taken her sweet time getting ready for the festival, hoping in vain that if she took long enough she wouldn't have to go at all. That fantasy had been squashed the moment her mother walked through the door, having been sent by Katara to make sure she wouldn't sneak off.<p>

Oh, she'd be getting the Waterbender back for that little stunt.

The party was in full-swing by the time she tracked down Katara, who was talking animatedly with Toph Bei Fong and the Hunsi heiress, Jin. She seemed completely oblivious to the appreciative looks the latter was giving her.

The Princess lightened her steps as she approached Katara from behind, lifting a finger to her lips when both Jin and Toph noticed her presence. Fortunately, both continued their conversation as though they'd never noticed her.

Azula took a moment to purchase a cone of unflavored ice chips before resuming her ambush on the unsuspecting Waterbender. When she was close enough, she reached out and pulled the top of the woman's shirt away from her back, dumping the contents of the cone down Katara's shirt.

Katara squealed and whirled around when the ice hit her back, blue eyes immediately narrowing on the Princess who stood innocently beside her.

"What the—ARGH! Azula!" Katara shrieked at the Princess. "What was that for!?"

"What was what for?" Azula replied, feigning innocence as Toph doubled over in laughter beside Katara and Jin struggled to contain her snickering.

Katara scowled and bent the icy water out of her shirt and into Azula's face. The Princess dodged, though, and the water splashed harmlessly to the ground.

"She got you good, Sugar Queen!" Toph stated, still laughing at her friend's expense.

"YOU! You can't say you didn't see her coming!" Katara exclaimed as she pointed a finger in Toph's face.

"'Course I did," Toph replied easily, "but that was hilarious!"

Katara looked like she was about to launch into speech of some sort, but Toph cut in.

"Nuh-uh, Sugar Queen, this is a festival, and you're gonna have fun; not spend time lecturing us miscreants." Toph grinned and dragged Katara off by the arm. "Let's see how much trouble we can stir up!"

"Yes, do have _fun_, Katara. That is what you said tonight would be!" Azula called after them, earning herself a rude gesture from the Waterbender.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Princess." Jin said once the two friends had left. "Word is that you never attend these festivals."

"I don't," Azula agreed. "But the Ambassador and my mother needled me into it."

The heiress chuckled. "I can understand that completely. There are some people you simply don't say no to."

Azula hummed her agreement before changing the subject.

"This is your first time in the Fire Nation, correct?" She continued when Jin nodded in answer. "Then allow me to properly introduce you to our culture." Azula extended her arm to the woman at her side.

Jin allowed a slow smile to spread across her face, looping her arm in with Azula's.

"It would be my honor, Princess."

_Definitely not a wasted night_. Azula thought to herself as she led Jin through the festival.

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><p><strong><em>I still own nothing. ;_;<em>**


	4. Revelations

**_AND here we go! This one's longer than the last chapter...I felt bad about the last one being under 1k words, but I made up for it here._**

**_Again, a HUGE thanks to my reviewers! Y'all are awesome and help keep this little story at front of my mind._**

**_I pretty much just post these chapters as I write them, so any mistakes are my own. _**

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><p>Living with Azula could be fun, Katara decided as she sat at Azula's breakfast table with Toph. She and the Princess didn't see much of each other, but that was probably for the best, as her instincts told her there was some unfinished business regarding the end of the War. Still, the interactions they'd had thus far had been bordering on enjoyable, and she was learning a lot about the Princess.<p>

Especially the discovery that Azula was quite the prankster. Katara had long since lost count of how many rounds they'd gone in their little prank war, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't fun.

Last night had been no exception: she and Azula may have split ways during the Dragon Festival, but that didn't stop them from taking potshots at each other every chance they got. Katara had sent innumerable snowballs into Azula's face, and Azula had fired back by lighting Katara's food on fire just as she was about to eat it. Toph and Jin had gotten into it as well—with Toph raising the earth just in front of Azula's feet, only to be countered by Jin who was apparently an Earthbender as well.

In fact, Jin had proven to be quite surprising. Sure she was the wealthy heiress of a trade mogul, but she was also quite the talented Earthbender. Toph had explained to her, once, the process of how she'd discovered Metalbending, and the Heiress had figured it out by the fourth try.

She'd then gone on to offer to help Toph fund an expansion on her Metalbending Academy; out of her own funds, not her family's. Toph had been understandably excited at the idea.

Katara and Toph had long since lost track of Azula and Jin by the time they were ready to call it a night, so they'd headed back to Azula's Villa to crash. Zuko had offered to let Toph stay in the Palace proper, but Toph had declined, claiming that bothering Azula was more entertaining.

Katara was brought out of her reminiscing when Toph burst out laughing.

"What?" Katara inquired of her friend.

Toph only gave a shit-eating grin in response, pointing towards the door. Seconds later, a disheveled Princess stumbled through the door grumbling about needing tea…with the Hunsi heiress following behind her looking just as disheveled.

Katara's jaw hit the floor.

"Damn, Princess!" Toph exclaimed, still grinning up a storm. "You work fast!"

Azula only grunted in response, focusing instead on the black tea in front of her.

"To be fair," Jin explained with a chuckle, "we're equally to blame. The alcohol here is quite potent."

"I knew there was a reason I don't drink." Azula groaned in misery, clearly suffering from a hangover.

"Please!" Toph laughed. "As if your night would have ended any differently if you'd been sober."

"Sobriety wouldn't have changed a thing." Jin agreed with a grin.

"But…but the negotiations!" Katara spluttered, shocked that the Princess would go so far as to sleep with someone to try and sway a trade agreement.

"Oh those ended two days ago." Jin dismissed with a negligent wave. "I'm heading back to the Earth Kingdom this afternoon to set things up from my end."

"Hey! You could drop by and check the Academy out." Toph piped up.

"I'm sure I can fit that in easily enough." Jin nodded in agreement.

Katara grumbled to herself while Toph and Jin continued discussing travel plans, admittedly relieved to find out her initial assumption had been wrong.

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><p>"I can't believe you!" Katara fairly shouted as she stormed into Azula's office later that day.<p>

Azula put down the scroll she was reading with a sigh. She wouldn't be getting any more work done until Katara had finished ranting.

"Lord Hunsi's granddaughter!" Katara continued. "Azula if your mother finds out—"

"Oh she already knows." Azula interrupted the Waterbender nonchalantly. "The look on her face was priceless."

Katara flopped into one of the cushioned chairs and fixed the Princess with a glare.

"Don't tell me you slept together just to piss Ursa off!"

"Oh of course not." Azula replied. "Though that _is_ an idea…."

"Azula!" Katara exclaimed.

The Princess rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine." Azula ceded. "I'll play nice. For now." She shot the Waterbender a wicked grin.

"I just don't understand why you'd do something like that." Katara huffed, ignoring Azula's grin entirely.

"Why not?" Azula shrugged easily. "She'd been eyeing me since she arrived, and who am I to turn away a chance to have a little…fun?"

Katara groaned.

"Oh relax." Azula chided the Waterbender. "Nothing more will ever come of it. She'll likely be married off to some wealthy person to further her family's influence over the trade industry. That's how it is with Nobility, no matter where they're from. No harm in having fun while you still can."

Katara frowned at that.

"You're Royalty." She stated, earning her a flat look. "Will you be married off for political reasons?"

"Can you honestly see Zuzu, or anyone, telling me who to marry?" Azula countered.

Katara snorted. No, she definitely couldn't.

"Exactly." Azula responded. "A lot of people hate me for my actions during the war, but even more fear me for them. I conquered Ba Sing Se. I killed the Avatar. I did more with two people at my side than my father or Uncle were able to do with their armies—_combined._"

The Princess reached out to the cup of tea sitting on her desk, heating it up with her Bending as she let Katara mull over her words.

"Those kind of actions have given me a certain reputation." She continued. "And that, combined with the general knowledge that I'm the most powerful Firebender in the world—in addition to being a master strategist—keeps most would-be suitors at bay."

Katara looked at her then, blue eyes boring into Azula's. And while the Princess couldn't quite pinpoint what the look in Katara's eyes meant, it made her decidedly uncomfortable. She beat back the urge to squirm and craned a brow at the Waterbender.

"It's just…" Katara struggled to explain. "I guess I never really thought about what kind of an impact all that would have on your life. I never realized it could be so…lasting."

"Of course not," Azula replied easily. "Because you see the good in everyone; even the very people who would have killed you during the war."

"You wouldn't—"

"I would have." Azula interrupted her. "And Mai and Ty Lee would have as well, yet you're friends with both and are living with me."

Katara thought about that, calling up memories of when she'd faced down the three girls.

"And how many times did Zuko try to kill you and the Avatar before his little existential crisis?" Azula continued.

"But that was war." Katara shook her head. "Things are different now."

"Are they?" Azula countered. "The Fire Nation may not be out to conquer the world anymore, but I know for a fact that there are plenty of people who would kill me if given the chance. I learned that the hard way when Zuzu sent me to travel the Earth Kingdom."

Katara glanced down at her hands, frowning lightly at the things she'd never considered before.

"Doesn't it ever get lonely?" She eventually asked.

"What?"

"Having so many people who either fear you or want to kill you." Katara explained. "Doesn't that get lonely?"

Azula shrugged.

"I have my family." Azula responded, then narrowed her eyes at Katara. "And if you ever repeat that I'll deny it to my dying breath."

Katara grinned.

"Besides," Azula continued in an airy tone. "It's hard to get lonely when you're hosting a nosy Waterbender."

"Hey!" Katara exclaimed, before shaking her head with a laugh.

Living with Azula was many things, but dull was never one of them.

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><p><em><strong>I still own nothing. <strong>_

_**Except Jin Hunsi and her family. They're mine.**_


	5. Agni Kai

_**I am SO SORRY about the delays getting this chapter up. School exploded on me, and Katara was being difficult. To make it up to y'all, I'm splitting this chapter into two parts so you can at least have something to read!**_

_**One thing I feel the need to clarify before y'all get started: Jin Hunsi is my own character, not the Jin of the series. **_

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><p>"What's this I hear about an Agni Kai?" Katara asked over their usual late dinner, eyeing the Princess.<p>

Gold eyes flicked up to meet hers, but otherwise there was no reaction. Azula took her time to finish chewing before responding.

"The Lang family didn't take it too well when I put down their attempt at a coup." The Princess eventually responded. "Most of them are rotting in various prisons now, but the youngest two decided to try their hand at an Agni Kai."

"And you accepted." Katara stated, unimpressed.

"Of course," Azula replied easily.

"But why?" Katara asked, not understanding why the Princess would want to engage in a deadly duel. "You said yourself that only the Fire Lord is required to accept a challenge."

"Mmm," Azula hummed in agreement. "But it's their right to issue an Agni Kai. If they win, the charges will be dropped and they'll be free."

"And if they lose?" Katara inquired warily.

"They'll be dead, so it won't be an issue." Azula responded, leaning back in her chair as she watched Katara's reaction.

The Waterbender didn't disappoint, spluttering in indignation.

"I don't have a choice in this case, Katara." Azula said before Katara could protest. "If they had issued the challenge before being accused of treason, I could have spared their lives. They know going into it that if they don't win they will die."

"That's…"

"The law." Azula said succinctly.

Katara sighed in frustration.

"When's the first one, then?"

"Yesterday." Azula replied around a mouthful of food. Her mother would be horrified.

"_What?_"

Azula shrugged and continued eating.

"You should have told me!" The waterbender chastised her host. "What if you'd gotten hurt?"

Azula snorted at that.

"Please, Katara. These two man-childs hardly pose any real threat to me." She pierced Katara with her eyes while she took a sip of tea. "I defeated Tun Lang yesterday without bothering bending. Tomorrow I will defeat Tsin Lang, and I will set a new record doing it."

"_Why_ would you not bend during an _Agni Kai_?" The Waterbender groaned. "Wait, let me guess; you wanted to prove a point."

"Ding, ding, ding!" Azula chirped. "We have a winner!"

"Cute. Really."

Azula shrugged easily. "Zuko and I have been waiting for the Loyalists to make a move for the past few years, now. I know we weren't able to arrest all of them, so these very public Agni Kai's serve as a blatant display of my loyalty to the Fire Lord."

Katara's brow furrowed, still not liking it.

"Their charges have been made public, along with a brief description of their actions against the Royal Family." Azula explained. "Everyone will know they tried to talk me into a coup. Yesterday's Agni Kai was to prove the point that I don't _need_ my bending to defend myself or my family."

"And the next one?" Katara asked warily.

"Tomorrow's," Azula purred with a deadly grin. "Will be a show of force."

* * *

><p>Azula surveyed the crowd from just inside the hidden door to the Agni Kai arena. The last time Royalty had participated in a public Agni Kai had ended with the banishment of then Prince Zuko. And with how quickly Azula had defeated the first Lang brother, the stadium was understandably packed.<p>

"I'd offer to give you a motivational speech," a gruff voice spoke behind her. "But I doubt you'd appreciate it."

The Princess snorted as she turned to look at her brother. He stood a hand's-width taller than her, and the combination of the scar on his face and the poor lightning in the entryway conspired to create imposing appearance. Or it would have if he hadn't looked so worried.

"You need to work on your menacing look, Zuzu." Azula said in response, earning her a snort from the Fire Lord.

"Will this take care of the last of the conspirators?"

"It should," Azula confirmed. "For now, anyway. Hopefully so blatant a display of my support will quiet the last of the Loyalists."

Zuko nodded somberly. He'd endured his fair share of overthrow attempts, but this last one had been the smartest. The Loyalists—those still loyal to the incarcerated Ozai, and who still sought to conquer the world—had finally made the move Zuko and his court had been fearing since he first became Fire Lord.

Just as his sister had predicted, they'd sought her out with promises of power; claiming she was the rightful Fire Lord, and that Zuko was only hurting the Fire Nation with his international cooperation. Azula had, in turn, played into their hands; pretending to agree as she'd once again played the role of a power-hungry, entitled Princess.

Azula had convinced them that Zuko would be most vulnerable during the anniversary of his marriage. She'd shown them an old servant's passage into the palace, instructing them to wait for her when they arrived so as to avoid getting caught. However it wasn't Azula they met upon breaching the Palace, but a contingent of guards.

Azula had shown up once the prisoners were being escorted out, and had proceeded to lecture them on how their foolish desires would quickly bankrupt the Nation they so claimed to love. Most of them had ducked their heads and accepted their loss, but two young men of the Lang family had invoked the right to Trial by Agni Kai.

That particular tidbit of information hadn't gone over well when Zuko had found out, though he'd known there wasn't much to be done at this point; it's not like the Princess would lose.

"Are you still expecting…?" The Fire Lord trailed off.

"Yes." Azula said succinctly. "A little birdie informed me yesterday of frantic movements in the Moose-Lion's den."

Zuko sighed, wondering why it couldn't just be simple for once.

"You don't seriously expect them to just give up, do you Zuzu?"

"No," The Fire Lord replied. "But it'd be nice if they did."

Azula snorted, unable to answer as the gong rang, signaling the combatants to enter the arena.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AND CUT.<em>**

**_I'll get the next part up as fast as I can, but I've had a lot of school stuff to do lately. It is in the process of being written, though._**

**_Disclaimer: I still own nothing, sadly._**


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